Conversations with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Contemporary Questions

I am writing about this book less as a review than as a personal reflection. Throughout this startling look at Jesus and what he said, Harold Fickett writes not about abstract theories, but of what he and I and others have encountered in our own conversations with Jesus as we work out our lives and meet Jesus, as did ordinary individuals in the first century, in the middle of the muck of life. Jesus shocked those with whom he talked and surprised by his astounding love. He offered no tired formulas, no abstract theories, no law but the law of love that fulfilled every law. He offered himself as the answer to the human dilemma. Jesus showed in a profoundly simple way through telling parables, what it means to be loved by God and how that constitutes a real life. "Conversations with Jesus" helped me in my own conversations with Jesus, to see that I am indeed helpless and needy without the help of a God who offers "total help for total need." I came to see in a brighter, clearer light, by reading this book, the sacredness of asking for and accepting help from God. Near the end of his life, Eric Hoffer, the longshoreman and philosopher, wrote in his journal about forgiveness and reconciliation being what are most important in life. Harold Fickett echoes this in his statement that "forgiveness and reconciliation are the final realities." In my own life, I moved in the direction of isolation with its accompanying resentment, self-pity, icy egotism and self-righteousness. Time after time I have been upended by my own self, much as Dante was blocked by his own pride. I, too, have seen what an abysmal failure a life built upon compulsive self-will brings. I read the Bible, and the parables of Jesus, in a way that is different today, though I have known the Bible my whole life. The words I read today are living and nourishing, rather than wooden and sterile. I read as one who was lost and now is found. There are answers to spiritual questions that do not answer. Jesus, in the words of the old pop tune, is the answer. I am grateful to the writer of this book for providing fresh evidence to that fact.

For those of us who are not scholars of biblical history, it may be difficult to appreciate the context and nuances of many of Jesus' parables. Because of differences in cultures and time, we may miss some of the messages embedded in these teachings. Harold Fickett's own spiritual quest led him to explore Jesus' parables in a unique way, seeking a deeper level of meaning. How would a parable be told if Jesus were here today, in our world? In Conversations with Jesus, Fickett has told contemporary stories which play upon the nuances of our culture's customs and prejudices in much the same way that the original audience likely heard Jesus. The stories are woven together with themes of Fickett's own spiritual journey. This is a wonderful book. I recommend it be read slowly, with plenty of time allowed for thought between chapters!

Sometimes you can read a book and receive understanding. This is the case with "Conversations With Jesus" by Harold Fickett. Mr. Fickett has paid a high price to gain a relationship with Jesus, thankfully he is willing to share his contemporary parables with us. Each chapter is based on a parable or story that he has written about the present. Each of his stories then is related to a parable or teaching of Jesus. His story writing and insights are a magnifying mirror of Jesus of the gospels. This is an excellent book of spiritual insight.